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Julia Roberts' Mystery Thriller 'Fool Me Once' Gets Financing

Entertainment One and Tooley Productions will finance the movie adaptation of Harlan Coben’s novel 'Fool Me Once,' with Roberts starring.

Canada's Entertainment One and Tooley Productions are partnering with Julia Roberts and her Red Om Films banner to finance and distribute a big-screen adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Fool Me Once.

The deal brings a studio to a project Roberts started developing in March after acquiring the rights to Coben's novel from Penguin’s Dutton imprint. The actress will star in the mystery thriller, and produce alongside Tucker Tooley and Red Om Films’ Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill.

eOne and Tooley Productions will co-finance Fool Me Once as part of a first-look co-financing and international distribution deal recently signed between the partners. eOne will distribute the film in the U.K., Canada, Australia/New Zealand, Benelux and Spain.

Additionally, eOne’s partnership with Sierra Pictures will see the international sales and servicing of the film handled by Sierra/Affinity outside of territories where eOne directly distributes. Fool Me Once centers on Maya (Roberts), an ex-Special Ops pilot who sees her daughter playing with her husband, a man who was supposedly murdered two weeks prior. In the twisted adventure that follows, Maya tries to find out what is and is not real.

CAA, which represents Roberts and Coben, packaged Fool Me Once.

Roberts also is repped by Engelman & Company and Hirsch Wallerstein. Coben also is repped by Aaron Priest Agency and attorney Michael Gendler.